WILD RIDE AHEAD
For the final four Popstar wannabes
The final four popstar wannabes are in for a wild 10 days. Skye Hine, TJ Zimba, Christabel Williams, and Le ART’s Anastasia Sirila, Rosetta Lopa, and Tiresa Foma’i, will play a VIP concert on the show this Wednesday at the show’s mansion in Muriwai.
On Friday they enter the real world, with each releasing their single to the public, and that night they will take to the stage at the Powerstation to perform.
All four admit to Spy there are nerves. To add to the pressure, rapper Kings is performing and so is superstar Kimbra, who will debut her new single Replay, from her upcoming fourth studio album.
The singer is thrilled to have wrapped the album and to be back in New Zealand from New York for the filming of the remainder of the competition.
Friday night’s concert will screen next Tuesday on TVNZ 2 and on Wednesday the winner of the $100,000 and the Popstar title will be revealed.
“I definitely did not see any of this coming,” said 16-year-old Hine.
“It has seriously changed my life, in the sense that I feel like this is the biggest door that’s opened for me in terms of my music career.”
Zimba, 21, says he is struggling to get used to being recognised and says the show has given him the tools he needs for the music industry.
“I’ve learned to sing better, rap better, make better beats, share my message and I’ve added some amazing people into my life. I’m beyond grateful,” he says. Zimba’s single is called TMRW Maybe.
Williams, 20, says being on the show has filled a gap and she will be putting everything she has learned into practice. “I am still the really weird, genre-blending, and powerhouse high-energy artist I came into the show as, but now, I am more sure of who I am and what I’m here to do.”
Her single, If You Ain’t Looking, was written in the first lockdown. Williams describes the time as a feeling of desperation — wanting to chase her dreams while being stuck behind.
“I want it to inspire others to do the same and keep believing in what you can and want to do. It’s a happy tune, and I don’t have a lot of those — so I’ve put a lot of effort into capturing the feeling inside it,” she says.
The three powerhouse girls from Le ART say they are not the same people they were when they entered the competition.
They say they are no longer shy and hesitant but now confident and classy — and “absolutely crazy”.
After eight years of performing, their first debut single, Be Ready, is their life story so far.
“It’s a song about love, life and about three broke, brown girls in a big world; an invitation to join our family; to be healed, to be angry, to be empowered, to be hilarious.”